What to Drink for St. Patrick's Day, Part 3: Singles

In this installment, we'll move in to Irish whiskey, but not in a way that you might expect. Over the last few years, Single Malt Scotch whisky has been a category with strong growth. From the lighter, sweeter drams like Glenlivet to the smoky, intense flavors of an Islay malt like Ardbeg, the Single Malt is hot.

But Single Malt (and single grain) whiskey is produced elsewhere. Balcones makes a Single Malt in Texas, for example. But, since this is about St. Patrick's Day, we're turning our attention to the Singles from Ireland.

A Single Malt, by the Scottish definition, is made from malted barley, using a pot still at a single distillery, and aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels. You can take the concept elsewhere and change some elements (the grain or the type of still, for example) and still call it a Single Malt, depending on the rules in that location. And we'll start our tour of Irish whiskey with a variation of the Single Malt.

Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Inspired by modern distilling techniques and through a desire to produce the smoothest and sweetest Irish Whiskey, Greenore was born. There are three simple reasons for the signature Greenore taste.

Greenore is made primarily from corn, and is distilled in column stills, allowing for a more pure spirit with a smooth taste profile. Greenore is then aged for 8 years in first fill Kentucky Bourbon barrels, adding its familiar vanilla notes.

The flagship bottling of Greenore is aged 8 years to give the perfect balance between the ingredients that produced the whiskey, the way it was produced and the ex-bourbon casks that matured the whiskey. Sweet and smooth, this delicate whiskey is produced in small batches to the highest possible quality for your ultimate enjoyment.

Nose: Clean light grain with honey and oak characters.

Taste: Silky smooth and mellow. A honey start combined with fresh almonds and spices.

Finish: A warm honey taste with a dry finish.

Connemara

This is a traditional Single Malt whiskey. Inspired by Ireland’s ancient distilling traditions, Connemara’s smooth sweet malt taste and complex peat flavors makes it a truly unique Irish whiskey. Connemara is the most decorated Irish whiskey with a huge collection of Gold Medals and has been honored as the “Worlds Best Irish Single Malt”. Connemara allows you to unearth the Peated Pleasures of Ireland.

Mildly peated, Connemara has a nice balance between the malt and the peat. It's smooth and clean, with the palate evenly divided between malty sweetness and smoky peat.

                           The Tyrconnell

The Tyrconnell is a brand steeped in history and heritage, dateing back to the glory days of Irish whiskey. Traditionally, most Irish malt has been used to create blended Irish whiskey, so it is rare to find Irish malt whiskey bottled in its purest form. Distilled in the old Irish tradition, this pure pot still single malt whiskey uses only the most natural Irish ingredients of barley and fresh spring water. The resulting whiskey is then left to peacefully mature in oak casks stored in 200 year old granite warehouses, allowing it to develop its full flavor and character.

Tasting notes:
Color: Golden Yellow
Nose: Full and fruity aroma with a citrus – spiciness taste
Taste: Well structured, with honey notes hanging from the nose. A tang of oranges and lemons, a strong malt presence that balances well with the oily sweetness
Finish: A long finish, with the malt becoming more dominant to the end without the soft fruits and honey, which helped make up the middle.

The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey is an historic Irish whiskey brand from the 1900’s named after a horse that won a legendary race at odds of 100 to 1. Made from 100% malted barley in traditional copper pot stills Tyrconnell has a beautiful fresh, fruity bouquet with a smooth sweet taste and a delicate dry finish.

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish

Our final Irish Single Malt finished in sherry casks, and has limited availability.

Nose: Strong on sherry, it has a strong Fino feel to it, very grape-like, with notes of juicy raisins, golden berries, just a hint of mint.

Palate: Delectable and utterly decadent! This dessert in a glass with a hugely authentic note of wonderfully thick Fino sherry. Also hints of tarte tatin and custard.

Finish: More of that sherry, with apple tart and cinnamon.

           Yellow Spot

A limited production whiskey, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, plus Sherry and Malaga Butts. Yellow Spot is actually aged in those barrels, not finished there, imparting richer flavors.

Nose: Pepper, spice and cloves with Peaches and honey from the Malaga.
Taste: Super mix of warm, creamy tastes with honey, apple sponge and caramel.
Finish: Lovely long finish with a dry sweetness from the Malaga.

There are significant differences between the whiskeys listed here, as well as even greater differences between these and blended Irish whiskey. Your palate will appreciate the opportunity to explore something that is at once different and familiar. We think an Irish Single would be a great addition to any home bar.